Citizenship bill protest: BJP lawmakers rush to Assam to assuage concerns

     Violent protests in Assam have dampened the euphoria over the passage of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was cleared by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, compelling the BJP to dispatch its MPs from the state to assuage concerns on the ground. The party is pulling out all the stops to assure that the legislation – that seeks to give citizenship to persecuted minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh – does not target minorities or change the demographics in the Northeastern states.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the party in assuring the people of Assam that their rights would be protected. The PM tweeted, “The central government and I are totally committed to constitutionally safeguard the political, linguistic, cultural and land rights of the Assamese people as per the spirit of Clause 6. I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB.”

A senior BJP leader said most of the MPs from Assam are on their way back to the state, where curfew has been imposed in some areas. MPs have also been given instructions to carry out meetings to addresses concerns and fears about the implication of the legislation on the state. The BJP has two MPs in the Rajya Sabha and nine in the Lok Sabha.

On Wednesday at the parliamentary party meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told MPs to dispel notions about the implications of CAB, address concerns of their constituents and spend more time in the constituencies.

The BJP has been assiduously reaching out to the people in the Northeast to assuage concerns that the CAB will have an impact on their cultural identities or demography. While the Opposition has accused the BJP of rushing the passage of the bill that targets minorities, the party has vehemently defended its move on the grounds that it is in keeping with its ideological commitment to offer help to persecuted Hindus and other minorities who have no place other than India to go to.

“The party does not gain anything politically; we are just fulfilling a commitment that we made to the persecuted people from the days of the Jana Sangh,” said Dileep Saikia, BJP MP from Mangaldoi in Assam.

Saikia, who is already in Assam said, the administration is taking steps to ensure that law and order is restored and there are no casualties.

“We have clarified that CAB will not be applicable in the states with inner line permit and those areas that come under Schedule VI of the Constitution; however in the Brahamaputra Valley there are some concerns. There has been miscommunication over certain issues, there is a fear that 1.20 crore people will come and settle here and change the demography and language of the state,” Saikia said.

His Lok Sabha colleague and MP from Silchar, Rajdeep Roy said, “What is happening on the ground is politically orchestrated; people from outside Assam where brought in to create disturbance in the state. In Silchar, for instance there is no opposition to the passage of the bill.”

He blamed the Congress and the AIUDF for the stoking protest. “Their political space in the state has shrunk, so they are trying to enter through the backdoor. The students who are protesting would probably be unaware of the provisions of the Bill,” Roy said.